'A right between the eyes truth'

Dr. Bo Wagner is pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church of Mooresboro and the author of several books. His books are available at www.wordofhismouth.com.

Published: Friday, June 28, 2013 at 08:07 AM.

It has often been said that the one thing that can be counted on is that things change. Having arrived at the ripe old age of 43, and being able to remember back to about age 2 or 3, I agree with that statement. In years gone by, life was much different than it is now, especially for children.

In our modern hyper-sensitive, politically correct, no-common-sense-allowed world, things that we did and played with as children have now become anathema. Such is the case with my favorite toy from childhood, the dart gun. When I was about 7 and my uncle was 10, we each had one of those fantastic plastic guns. You would insert a rubber dart with a suction cup on the end of it into the barrel, pull back a spring lever, and when you pulled the trigger the dart would come flying out and stick to the wall, the ceiling, the fish tank, whatever happened to be in the way.

I remember one Saturday morning in particular in which I was playing with that gun. I had spent the night at my grandparents’ home. My grandfather was Arthur G. Nuhrah, long-time professor at Gardner-Webb, and regular contributor to The Star. The man was many things – brilliant, hard of hearing, eccentric, hard working, and alas, for me, a man with a temper. On the fateful day in question, I was sitting on the couch in the living room, facing the hallway that led into the kitchen. I am really not sure what possessed me to do it, but for some reason I pointed that gun down the hall, squeezed the trigger, and “Pop!” the dart began to soar through the air.

And it was at that exact moment that my grandfather came around the corner into the hallway ... Have you ever had one of those moments where everything happens as if in slow motion? I could hear myself saying “Noooooooo!” as the dart soared toward my oblivious grandfather. He looked up just in time for the dart to strike him dead center on the forehead. His head jerked back, his glasses went flying, and he tumbled backward into the kitchen table.

I saw my life flash before my eyes that day, and I cannot begin to adequately describe the feeling of terror I felt at that moment. Grandfather was not happy, not even a teensy little bit. They say, “One day we’ll look back on this and laugh.” It took me 20 years to get brave enough to laugh over it, even though it is now utterly hysterical to me as I look back on it from age 43. I could never duplicate that shot in a million years, not if I tried.

If I had known my grandfather was coming around the corner, I never would have pulled the trigger. But every day people make a much bigger mistake, one that they have enough information to avoid. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

We do not know exactly when He is coming, but we do know that He is coming! What’s that, you say? You don’t believe He is coming back? Then you, sir, are in the Bible. Peter said “there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

It has often been said that the one thing that can be counted on is that things change. Having arrived at the ripe old age of 43, and being able to remember back to about age 2 or 3, I agree with that statement. In years gone by, life was much different than it is now, especially for children.

In our modern hyper-sensitive, politically correct, no-common-sense-allowed world, things that we did and played with as children have now become anathema. Such is the case with my favorite toy from childhood, the dart gun. When I was about 7 and my uncle was 10, we each had one of those fantastic plastic guns. You would insert a rubber dart with a suction cup on the end of it into the barrel, pull back a spring lever, and when you pulled the trigger the dart would come flying out and stick to the wall, the ceiling, the fish tank, whatever happened to be in the way.

I remember one Saturday morning in particular in which I was playing with that gun. I had spent the night at my grandparents’ home. My grandfather was Arthur G. Nuhrah, long-time professor at Gardner-Webb, and regular contributor to The Star. The man was many things – brilliant, hard of hearing, eccentric, hard working, and alas, for me, a man with a temper. On the fateful day in question, I was sitting on the couch in the living room, facing the hallway that led into the kitchen. I am really not sure what possessed me to do it, but for some reason I pointed that gun down the hall, squeezed the trigger, and “Pop!” the dart began to soar through the air.

And it was at that exact moment that my grandfather came around the corner into the hallway ... Have you ever had one of those moments where everything happens as if in slow motion? I could hear myself saying “Noooooooo!” as the dart soared toward my oblivious grandfather. He looked up just in time for the dart to strike him dead center on the forehead. His head jerked back, his glasses went flying, and he tumbled backward into the kitchen table.

I saw my life flash before my eyes that day, and I cannot begin to adequately describe the feeling of terror I felt at that moment. Grandfather was not happy, not even a teensy little bit. They say, “One day we’ll look back on this and laugh.” It took me 20 years to get brave enough to laugh over it, even though it is now utterly hysterical to me as I look back on it from age 43. I could never duplicate that shot in a million years, not if I tried.

If I had known my grandfather was coming around the corner, I never would have pulled the trigger. But every day people make a much bigger mistake, one that they have enough information to avoid. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

We do not know exactly when He is coming, but we do know that He is coming! What’s that, you say? You don’t believe He is coming back? Then you, sir, are in the Bible. Peter said “there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

He is coming, of that there is no doubt. My question is, will you be pleasant to Him at His coming, or offensive to Him? I was offensive to my grandfather when he came around the corner that day. I did not mean to be, but I was! Many who know better will likely also be offensive to Jesus when He comes.

Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”